Final Fantasy VIII: Moonlit Garden
by Hiro Ayami
Summary: Complete One-shot A collection of posts for an RP done between me and a friend. Note the disclaimer, and please read the summary in the beginning for information. Enjoy.


**Final Fantasy: VIII  
Moonlit Garden**  
_An RP by:  
Hiro Ayami  
&  
Tainted Purity_

_- -_

_Authors note and Disclaimer: _

This is just the collective posts of an RP via PM's between Tainted Purity and myself, Hiro Ayami on the online community, GaiaOnline. And naturally I have her permission to post this and thus special thanks and due recognition is given to her for her work in contributing to this RP. For those who enjoy this, I thank you on behalf of the two of us for viewing this and I hope it is enjoyable to you.

For those who wish to know, this RP takes place during a party almost immediately after the ending of the game itself at the Edea's Orphanage and the primary characters played are: Squall and Rinoa. This interaction may be slightly out of character, mainly from Squall, but this is simply one individuals perspective of him and the possible change in him, which I think was fairly accurate… Either way, please enjoy it, if not, don't hate Tainted Purity or me for warping a favorite character of yours. It wasn't our intent!

Also, since this is an RP based on the popular game Final Fantasy: VIII and thus we do not actually own the rights to this, and full acknowledgement goes to its creators, Squaresoft and all others involved in the production of the game of which many people have enjoyed.

Thank you and enjoy,

Hiro Ayami.

- -

The din of voices and laughter, both young and old, faded into a warm melody, which drifted upon the bittersweet ocean zephyr. They were carried throughout the old frame of the home's structure, past the newly set and plastered walls painted with creamy whites and sand toned colors. There were fresh flowers along the refurbished tabletops and rooms filled with new plush furniture and decorations, touched up paintings, soft golden lights. Everything had been restored, from the Corinthian stone pillars framing the entryway, to the laundry line in the back, to the steps downward toward the ocean. The orphanage that she had first seen, ruined like shattered innocence, gray and old, had been resurrected into something far more glorious than it had ever been.

There was a bright fire that lit the shore that night, ironically like a Phoenix for the home's revival. People that she didn't know, or hadn't talked with yet, from Garden, and children who had come to a new home. Everyone was there it seemed, while still remaining a private, personal, party. The Matron Edea was keeping close watch on those children, which ran about the beach even though the party was to help her relax and celebrate. Zell and Irvine were being just as mischievous. Selphie was playing songs on her guitar, trying to make Quistis or Ellone sing. Squall fit into the setting, the reunion, very well from what she could hope to see. He was one of them. The children that would always "come home" here, to people that fully loved and appreciated them.

And even though Rinoa had shared one of the greatest moments in all their lives, she felt different. Like her presence was interrupting something sacred, a past that she did not belong to. Granted, she didn't feel like this any other time. They had been through so much together, and she was thankful to now share the immediate future with them, together. But tonight…it was their night.

She had managed to slip out of the gathering relatively unnoticed, trying to give them their privacy and time together, ushering Angelo to stay and play with the children he loved to run with. No one had really noticed in lieu of all the activity that had bustled about. She stepped out, up those new stone steps, and through the house, out into the vast field of flowers, empty but for herself sharing the space underneath the moonlight.

Inclining her face to the night sky, she closed her eyes, face complacent. Like this, she almost wished that she could have been with them from the beginning, rather than being alone.

-

A sigh escaped him and he looked down at the children playing on the beach, then over to his left at Edea… Matron... Vague memories of similar events played out through his mind, and yet he couldn't clearly grasp them. He would never be able to, not again. Not after the offering he'd made to the GF's, it had been his decision, his and everyone else's. Only one thing stood out in his mind, just a single important fact. He'd been happy, they'd all been happy, but what was to become of them now? The same thoughts had plagued him since the end of the final battle. Finally, in an attempt to free his mind, he cast his gaze to the water, his eyes drifting to a reflection in the distorted water below him and he spun around, raising his head to meet the gaze of none other than Seifer.

"Seifer?" Squall managed to choke out, Seifer here, at a gathering like this, without so much as a flashy entrance was… Odd.

"What, something wrong with me being here? I'd have thought you'd be glad to see me, being your mentor and all." Seifer said, a smirk on his face. "Bleh, doesn't matter, I wasn't here to see you, I came here to speak with Edea."

"What about?"

"You were never this nosey, being head of Garden has really turned you into an annoying guy." Seifer shook his head, realizing Squalls sense of humor was still quite a ways away from his own. "I need a place to stay, but she's busy, I'll talk to her after the party anyhow." He simply put with a shrug.

"I see."

Seifer fidgeted in his spot for a moment, turning towards Edea as he broke eye contact with Squall. "You should go and see Rinoa. I saw her earlier, but she wandered off… Listen, what I'm trying to say is: Go and see her NOW before I have to go and kick that stupid ass of yours in again."

"Fine."

"Heh, in the mean time, care to point me in the direction of that chicken-wuss Zell? I got a surprise for him, heheheh."

Squall pointed at the beach, a ways off past the children playing. "He should be there."

"Wow, I'd have thought he'd have been too scared to get back there, guess stiffs really do change." Seifer chuckled to himself before heading down towards the beach. "Be seein' ya Squall."

Squall didn't even bother to say goodbye, not that he would have heard him if he did anyhow. "Thanks Seifer…" he thought, turning to scan the area. "Rinoa..."

He made his way to the one place he knew he'd find her; she had to be there. She said she would be there; after all, it was a promise she'd made. As the field got into view, so did a familiar figure, one he was quite glad to see. "Rinoa?" he called quietly, realizing his voice had probably been absorbed by the noise of the party. He moved closer, careful not to damage the flowers around him before he called out to her again. "Rinoa?"

-

As she had been so determined to stand her ground for just a while's longer, it was almost satirical that she would already begin hearing voices calling her back. At first it had been so faint, seemingly her hopeful and overactive imagination distinguishing her name from among it all. They were there for her, she knew. But despite giving into her effort to stay put, which was quickly beginning to become confused with a childish stubbornness, she listened again more intensely. As she heard the light rustles of parting flora, growing closer, more real, a smile couldn't help but to creep across her lips. Sure she may have wanted them all to be alone together as a group, but she was still happy, thankful, to have them remember her. Was that selfish?

No, it was human. She knew she wanted to see and be with them. Especially him.

"Squall," She answered him, unable to hide the happiness from her features as she turned from the endless expanse of moon soaked petals to him and the light at his back. Her arms were folded behind her back, hands grasping each wrist as she leaned just barely into his waning shadow, trying to see his face in the darkness. "I knew you'd find me."

Her face then took on a more lighthearted disposition, as she couldn't help but to laugh softly. "I wouldn't have thought this soon though. Was it Quistis? Ellone?" Her tone was light, teasing, as they all knew that Squall sometimes needed that slight nudge in the right direction when it came to something like this. Granted, he had come quite a long ways from the times that they had first met. As she waited, she made her way closer toward him, somehow effortlessly walking an invisible path through the upturned flowers all around them.

-

Squall shook his head slowly, the trace of a smile played on his lips as she approached him, growing just a bit with each step as she drew closer. As he moved to lift his head to give her his verbal response, his will dropped and he lowered his gaze to the ground below him, as if ashamed of what he'd almost revealed. Of course, she would probably have seen it coming, she seemed to know even vaguely what had been on his mind when no one else did, or at least if there was something troubling him. It was one of the things that fascinated him about her, how she'd somehow managed to figure him out so quickly, then again… Seifer must have been the same way, almost…

"Actually," he mumbled recomposing himself before looking up and matching her gaze, " it was Seifer. He saw you wander away; I'm actually… surprised he told me. It isn't like him. Then again, I suppose this whole ordeal must have changed him."

He stiffened a bit, already feeling uncomfortable, and as if to take his mind off the subject he raised his hand behind him and scratched the back of his head. It wasn't really going the way he'd intended, yet he wasn't sure if it was just himself feeling awkward, or if they both felt it. He was disappointed though, mainly in himself. Why couldn't he be just a little bit more honest with Rinoa? Just a bit. Seeing her in the distance, she'd seemed to blend perfectly with the flowers, the moonlight, everything, and that moment he'd really gotten a good glimpse of her beauty. But he feared it was just his mind or the moonlight playing tricks on him, and that was part of the reason he looked down. But now, face to face with her, he knew it wasn't the moonlight's tricks. She really was… beautiful. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but words really weren't his strong suit, hell, he was struggling now not to say something that would offend her. He'd done it before after all, and in similar settings.

"Anyways, I… uh, I was a bit worried too, once I realized you weren't around either." He scratched the back of his head again. After a brief moment, "Are you alright?"

-

Ah...There he went again, that skilled and practiced way of hiding and masking his expressions to portray simple strength and austerity. A solid and surefire way to carry oneself and ward away, pestering attention to seemingly frivolous things. Of course, it didn't work on her, and she wasn't afraid to be curious toward it either. Before she could ask him anything else, though, he had looked up again completely 'whole' with the perfected grace and normality he always emanated. That wavelength was always a bit shaky, especially in the situations she managed to put him in, and slightly cold.

"Seifer?" Rinoa echoed, blinking away the raised tiers of mild surprise over each chocolate orb. She smiled almost amusedly and hid the reaction under a hand. Her eyes seemed to be recalling the mentioned individual as she looked down in thought, listening. "Yeah...," she agreed, musing, dropping her hands and look back up to the tall warrior. "Yeah. This whole journey's changed all of us." Before either of them could brood on that, "Really, I'm fine." She continued to assure him, her smile faltering just slightly. She could tell him though, if no one else. But as she did so, she couldn't help but to look away so that he didn't have to see the somberness she had been trying to hide.

"I just didn't feel like I should be enjoying myself as much as I was beginning to with all of you guys tonight. Since I was never really a part of this home, or its past and Balamb, until recently. As much as I want to be one of you, I know it's not completely true." Hoping she was making at least some sense, she couldn't help but to begin pacing. "I'm probably just thinking too much," she concluded, dismissing what she had said with a careless wave of her hand. She had ended up right in front of him again, and taking on a defeated posture with her arms straight at her sides, head bowed down lower than needed with some effort, she extended one hand out toward him. "I'm sorry for making you worry, and asking you this after I just said all that. But could you maybe stay with me for a little bit before going back?" She couldn't help but to look up slightly, peering out to him through the fringe of gold streaked black bangs. "Please?"

-

He watched her pace around him, he remembered this well, and a true sign she was really thinking hard. It was almost comical, but at the same time fascinating, she was so open about everything. So able to articulate her emotions in her movements, her body language, and when she spoke. He couldn't help but admire her for it either, it was something he would probably never be able to do himself. But as he moved to comfort her thoughts she'd stopped infront of him. He rested his eyes on the top of her head when she stopped in front of him, bowed slightly. Staring at her in wonder for a brief moment, he closed his eyes slowly, contemplating a few thoughts to himself before re-opening them and nodding at her.

"Alright, I'll stay here with you." He told her quietly, taking her hand in his own, giving a light squeeze. "Its too noisy over there anyhow…" he said, nodding his head in the direction of the orphanage. Part of it was true; another part was because Seifer was there. He vaguely remembered him mentioning something about a surprise for Zell, and despite the respect Seifer had developed for Zell, he really had his concerns about them doing something together. More so, he was still technically in charge, if anything should happen while he was there, he'd have to stop it… Not something he relished. But, mainly, he really did want to be here, with her, and even though she usually kept him on edge, producing uncomfortable situations. He really didn't mind them at all. He adverted his gaze to the sky above them, his hand still holding hers.

-

Her smile spoke her thanks more than a break of the simple silence, which ensued after his consent would. Just his single action of taking her outstretched hope was enough to fill that slight yearning for acceptance, and she tightened her smaller hand around his. For a space of time, which felt intangible, she watched his profile against the curtain of stars, the scar dark against his pale moon skin. Even if she would sometimes hope to be to him, he was beautiful, too.

"Let's take a little walk," Rinoa prompted as she pulled forward a bit, speaking softly so as not to disrupt him. "I want to see these flowers as the only thing surrounding me, and you." Her expression couldn't help but to lighten slightly at that. It just seemed so ideal, almost something that Selphie would proclaim.

It wasn't but a few feet passed that her voice grew from the hush again, not to disrupt but rather just, blending. She had waited to see if he would tell her anything, ask her something, after her own display, but nothing came. "The quiet ones are always the most intriguing. What are they thinking about? What unsaid things have they wanted to say? Why don't they?" She wanted to know, and so she decided to ask. It was as simple as that. But at the same time, she was afraid that her actions could just force him away. It was always hard to tell, so she often had to gamble. Doing that became harder and harder, with each draw of the thread which pulled her to him, however.

"Squall, are you _sure_ you don't mind my stealing you away here? Tell me now or I won't let you change your mind with a few more steps," she warned with a mock sternness that tried to cover the insecurity that seemed to haunt her that night.

The quiet ones are always the most intriguing… She always managed to make things difficult, didn't she? For him at least, and this question he knew, if left unanswered would probably haunt him the rest of the night. He stared down at her in silence for a few moments, wondering what she wanted him to say, was he supposed to comfort her? Tell her that his wish for her to be happy was his motive? Tell her how he felt? Tell her he loved her? Was that what she was searching for? If so, why was she being so… indirect? It seemed so alien to him, she'd always been so direct with him. For the moment he seemed at a loss for words, unsure how to answer her question, unsure what her question meant.

-

"I don't know really… What others think about that is, I've never thought about it before. I never thought it was relevant, but maybe, they never say what's on their minds because they feel they don't have to. Or maybe they don't know how to express their thoughts." He shrugged, falling into step beside her, casting a sideward glance in her direction. Almost searching for some sort of a sign himself. "Maybe they're unsure of what they're thinking themselves."

He fell silent for a moment more, simply walking beside her before answering her final question. "Is there a reason, I shouldn't be here with you?" he asked her, turning his attention to the path ahead of them. "If there is, I can't think of one, at least a good one."

-

"Hmm...." Rinoa mused, allowing the contemplative sound accompaniment to trail into a mute thought filled with various mediocre excuses at his prompt. Of course there were the routine ones, like it was good to be with people, old friends, and not let the party miss him. But she was happy that he didn't use any of them, and that he still stayed, was still walking beside her despite her asking. Just his most subtle actions and quiet words could already do so much for her, so she thought about his reasoning to her own wondering rhetoric. She could understand most of it, like the relevancy of things and how she could often speak despite the lack thereof. Uncertainty of one's own thoughts...It happened some times more than often, like now, even. But what caught her attention was his second point.

Eventually, she came to a stop, no sound other than the distant cicadas singing off in the distance, which had grown farther away. In all her own reverie, she had come up with only that much. She was better at communicating everything, while he was always adept at planning and succinct statements.

"It's really very easy," Rinoa began, sounding like Quistis. "All you do is say anything that comes to mind. Kind of like this." Clearing her throat, Rinoa stopped acting. "I love hearing voices, and everything that they have to say. I just want to let you know that."

" 'Maybe they don't know how to express their thoughts'..." Rinoa finally reflected out loud, one hand coming up to press a finger to her lips. The other remaining linked with his. "Is that because...I make you speechless?" She winked before her face became more serious, dropping the 'they' references. "Or just uncomfortable?"

-

He shrugged, glad she'd decided to drop the little 'they' game, he was sure if it had actually continued he'd have screwed it up, someway or another. But really… When it came down to it he wasn't sure what or why he couldn't voice his actual thoughts. Was it really her or his personal insecurities? He knew she enjoyed putting him on the spot, but that'd never stopped him before, he'd been able to speak his mind, to a certain degree. Then what was it? He chewed on his lip a bit, so far she'd been able to throw most of his theories or defense out the window, and now she actually had him doubting his own reasoning.

"You always make me uncomfortable, either on purpose or not, you somehow manage to. But, I don't think that's the reason." He paused, looking distant as he mulled incoherent thoughts in his mind. "To be honest, I don't know why." He confessed finally. He hated admitting he didn't know about something so…personal, it was unseemly to him not knowing such a simple thing as his own thoughts. At least, something that seemed simple to him. How could someone not know something like that?

He sighed, looking down at her once more, " It doesn't matter, what's the point of all this? Does it matter that much to you?" he asked her, his voice sounding harsh even to him, and he altered his tone slightly, looking down at the dirt below his boots before speaking again. "It can't really be that important." Again his own voice seemed strange to him, almost as if he was trying to convince the both of them he was right.

-

"Can't be that important?" the mock interrogator echoed, unfazed by the voice which held a pitch of mild annoyance to her prying, though she was still relieved that he had checked it. Even if he were trying to convince himself of that, it would take much more to have her believe the same. She stooped down slightly, letting go of his hand to brace against her knees as she tried to find the avoidant eyes through the veil of unruly brunette strands once again. She shifted back and forth to any slight turn of his head to avoid her. Eventually, she sighed and straightened, lowering herself to her customary 'planning' position, coming down to almost sit on her heels with each hand resting idly on each knee.

"Squall, it's not that words are so important that you have to use them to express everything about you," she began, no longer trying to make him look at her and staring ahead. "You know how I just came out and told you everything about why I left? Would you have been able to guess why I left if I didn't tell you? It's kind of like the same thing. Most of the time, if you had done something like that first, you wouldn't have to explain. It'd almost be expected, almost. But I would be able to pretty much guess why without your telling me. "

"I can guess what you're thinking and feeling sometimes. But I couldn't possibly know all the time, and I don't."

With a windy suspiration of forced breath, slender fingers wove their way around a few black-gloved digits, tugging down slightly to indicate for him to sit. He had resigned himself to her company after she gave him that second chance to leave, as far as she was concerned, and so she was going to keep him with her for a while's longer.

"Before that though, I guess you'd have to feel comfortable with me." Rinoa said falling back to sit on the grass, arms encircling her legs that had almost fallen asleep under her weight. "So, I'll just wait here until you are."

She was trying her best not to crack a smile at her own antics and the seeming ridiculousness of how she was intending to carry out a sort of strike against uneasiness. The longer you spent with someone, the less nervous you'd feel, right? She just hoped that they wouldn't be sitting like this under the pretense of a staring contest all night.

-

He squatted down infront of her before deciding or rather, concluding that he would probably be in for a long wait given her current disposition. Obviously she didn't buy his excuse, he was sure he didn't either. He moved into a sitting position infront of her, before looking in her direction. She wanted him to feel comfortable with her, and somehow, he found that notion slightly ironic, considering she knew he was stubborn, plus, the grass was kind of wet.

"You know, you could be in for a long wait." He told her, adjusting his seat to a more comfortable position, turning his view onto the ground infront of him. The light breeze that had been there through the whole night seemed to get colder through the silence, but he knew it was just because he wasn't moving anymore.

"THIS is comfortable, I guess." He muttered, offering a sideward glance in Rinoa's direction before looking back at the ground, speaking once more, "I'm not used to having these types of… discussions. Pretty sure I don't like them either." He sighed, moving to change the subject of the conversation somewhat. "Has Zell even finished making that ring for you?" He asked, truly curious, though if he hadn't it wouldn't have surprised him if he wasn't, Zell didn't seem like the type to get things done so quick.

-

Because he was looking off toward some random patch of ground again, the frown that skewed her lips went unnoticed. It wasn't that he didn't sit beside her; she could fix that easily enough herself. Maybe she had just been hoping to catch some sort of expression, annoyance, exasperation, maybe even a sardonic smile. But there was nothing. At least he was trying though, and talking as well.

"Was that sarcasm?" Rinoa asked in mock surprised response to his remark on the moist grass' comfort. Maybe it wasn't, but it was still a bit hard to tell. She did find it rather nice herself. Though slightly wet from the humidity's mist and midnight dew, it was still soft. What she enjoyed most of all, from the spot was that, looking around them, there existed an ocean of flowers and their night's fragrance.

Dismissing his comment on his regard toward simple conversation, Rinoa went on to his question, glad that he remembered. She straightened slightly as she undid the clasp and held the two silver circlets suspended on the sterling chain between them, watching them slowly oscillate underneath the radiant light. Her voice became quiet, almost inaudible if not for the hush of the sounds around them.

"I don't know if you know how much these rings mean to me. The silver band was my mother's. But...yours was the one that saved me at that time."

There was a long pause, where all she looked at was that ring, and then she lowered her hand to extend her arm out over her knees, dangling the chain from her fingers. "Zell hasn't finished it yet," she replied, adding, "Well he did, but then I requested that he add just one more thing to it. I should get it soon, so I guess you can have it back now if you'd like."

Taking the ring in his hand her studied it in the moonlight, " So he actually finished?" he mused as he continued to study the ring. Finally he released the item and let it dangle in front of her again. "Keep it for now." He told her as he went back to his thoughts. Yes, he knew, she'd told him once, someway or another, though he couldn't remember what she'd said exactly, but she'd gotten her point across.

-

Slowly his mind drifted from simple thoughts like 'Why was he doing this?' 'Was there a point?' or 'what do I say now' to the one main question that had been on his mind for sometime now, since the final battle. Where was she going to go now? Was she going to stay with them at Garden? He decided just to ask, it was a question more to his style now anyways, and not that he cared of course. Well, maybe a little.

"What do you plan to do now that the battles are over? Are you going to go back to Deling City or Timber?" He asked, his voice seeming to get somewhat quieter to him as he continued with the question. It seemed strange; almost an alien feeling to him, but when he thought about it, it had seemed like such a casual question. But, now that he'd actually voiced it, it sounded like a much darker and probable outcome. It would probably be the same with any of the people he called his friends, Ellone, Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, hell, even Seifer. Luckily for him, that hadn't crossed his mind at the moment, most fortunate actually, he was already beginning to fear the answer to his question.

She had to smile again; it came so easily to her, when he gave her the allowance to hang on to the ring for just a little while longer. After fumbling with the clasp somewhat, as it didn't often leave the loose embrace around her neck at all, everything was back into immaculate place. She brought the long strands of ebony out from behind the chain with an easy flick of her hand underneath, and then settled her arms over her stomach. Her arms crossed, hands coming up to run across the bare skin over each light blue arm warmer. Not being anxious left for more room to acknowledge the slight chill of the air around her. That slight feeling of worry that he would be fed up with her and leave had finally dissipated into a refreshing re-realization. He had changed, even if he was still the same in many ways.

"Hm…Well, you're going to stay with Garden as the SeeD Commander, right? Or are you going to retire early and act your age?" She asked, nearly knowing the answer. One couldn't always just assume though. "Maybe they'll go easy on me and let me join Balamb Garden. I could be a SeeD with all of you!" She thought out loud in response to his question, drawing her legs up more tightly to her arms and torso as she looked up in dreaming. "But I'm definitely not going back to Deling for a while. Timber... I haven't seen the guys in what feels like forever. I hope they're doing all right." Now that she actually had time to sit and think about it, there seemed like there was almost too many things she could do. But only a select few of those were things she had to do, and only one choice was what she wanted to do.

Drawing in a slow breath, she kept her voice steady and without meekness. "It's hard to make choices on your own sometimes...ya' know?" Yes, Raijin's manner of speaking was a bit amusing, and it would help to make things less heavy from where it seemed to be going. It couldn't didn't stay that way for long though. "Squall, where would you have me go?"

Her first question gave him with a sense of freedom, it hadn't occurred to him he could simply retire and do what ever he wanted. At the same time what would he do with that freedom? Where would he go? This traveling he'd made during this whole ordeal had taken him quite a ways, and the world didn't seem as big to him as it did before. He decided to leave that subject alone for a while, addressing her following comment.

-

"You could probably make it in quite easily, especially given what you've gone through with the rest of us. Not everyone could handle all of that; you've gone further than most real SeeD's have ever in their lives. But, you should probably go and visit your friends in timber… They'd be worried wouldn't they?" he told her in a rather blunt monotone, realizing it sounded more of a report than a simple comment. A long pause ensued after that, not really sure how to answer her question to him.

_"Where would you have me go?"_

The question seemed to bring him back memories of his childhood at the orphanage. When Sis… Ellone… left, he'd asked a similar question. What was he going to do now that she'd left? It was then he realized it was the same with Rinoa. The same child like attachment, only deeper this time and probably much more clear. And he knew what would follow if she did leave. The cold feeling of loneliness and it wasn't something he wanted to feel again, at least not if he could avoid it. He could avoid it, he knew that much.

"I'd have you stay here, with us." He told her quietly, shifting his body to face her. "I'd want you to stay here with me." He said finally.

-

Dark amber eyes seemed to sparkle underneath the silver light as Rinoa met his rainy blue gaze. Not because that shimmer came with a sheen of tears or any sort of wavering, but only for the sole reason of being _happy_. It was everything that she had wanted to hear in that moment, though not completely everything in its entirety all at once, but it was enough. What more could one possibly have asked for with two parts of the whole in completely agreement?

Doing more than just continuing to stare at him from across the small space they sat apart from each other, she pushed herself up slightly, creeping closer toward him with an almost feline type prowl. When her face was within close proximity with his, she brought her forehead to touch against the scar and closed her eyes. "I want to stay here with you, too," she whispered.

She rocked back and spun slightly on her heels to sit while facing him, though this time, much closer. Their arms were slightly touching, and she couldn't help but to lean slightly toward him for warmth, comfort, and the straightforward need to just be close to him. Squinting her eyes slightly, she could see the faint flow of the fire and light far back toward the silhouette of the house against a dark velvet backdrop of midnight navy and stars.

"Maybe we should go back, since it'll be getting a little cold," Rinoa suggested, willing to release him from voluntary confinement, though a greater part of her still wished to linger with him, just like this.

-

Instinctively and somewhat reflexively he moved an arm around her, holding her closer to him. However that was about as far as he managed, reducing himself to merely closing his eyes, simply concentrating on the sound of their breathing for the time being. After a few moments he shifted slightly, moving his body to give him a better view of her face.

"We'll go back when you want" he told her with a reassuring nod, after all he'd volunteered to stay with her for as long as she'd needed or wanted him around. It wouldn't have been right leaving when he wanted to. He was enjoying the time there now, for the time being, thinking wasn't on his mind, just going by the moment. Something he wasn't prone to do, nor was he used to, but it still felt nice.

Taking in a deep breath he leaned against her a bit as well, taking a moment to turn his gaze skywards. "Think anyone noticed we're gone?"

-

"Probably," came her clear-cut answer with a brief inner chuckle. No matter how quiet Squall could be and was, his presence always brought it a mysteriousness magnetism that could also be interpreted to daunting for those that weren't as used to it. And Rinoa...She could often challenge the life of the party against Selphie if she were up to it, or at least caught the onlooker with a simple lure into her eyes. Well, okay, so it didn't actually work with Squall the very first time, at least, until he had become somewhat less tense and danced with her. That was a memory she would never forget, no matter how many times she used the assistance of the guardian forces.

Leaning up against him now, she closed her eyes and brushed past the white fur lining of his jacket's collar before burying her face in the crook of his neck. There was a restrained smile as she tried not to draw back or laugh as the material slightly tickled the bare skin of her neck. Since she had come as close to his warmth as she was though, she couldn't help but to keep drawing closer. It felt as if she would never have to go back, or decide on where to go next like this. But though she knew they would eventually, she was wrapped in his presence of now, and going back would be the last thing she considered doing.

"Thank you," she breathed against his skin, almost randomly. She didn't know if she needed to, she had already thanked him for all he had done, or if only words could express anything at all. But she wanted to say _something_.

Breathing in his scent of something fondly alluded to evergreen and amber tea; she was weaving memories once more.

"Hm... Are you just a little bit more comfortable now?" She couldn't help as to inquire.

-

He forced his body to remain relaxed as she moved even closer to him yet, much like he'd done on the Ragnarok, and though he'd enjoyed the moment then, it was still somewhat of an odd feeling being that close once again. Slowly though, he was adjusting to it once more, his comfort zone having previously adapted to something like this before hand. Even as she breathed against his skin, he remained on a level of a form of stoic calm. He really was getting more comfortable now, and perhaps it was the heat their proximity of each other produced, but he figured, if they wanted to, staying there longer wouldn't be much of an issue.

Leaning his head against the top of hers he made a sort of a humming sound as she thanked him, more or less his version of a you're welcome, but it sufficed. Much like it had done in the past, simple glances or distinct noises often acknowledged his attention to the discussion. However, dude to popular request he'd been working on it, throwing in a little bit extra, perhaps a word or two, but not much more, in fact this night had really been one of the longest discussions he'd had with anyone at all.

He gave a bit of a nod, his cheek rubbing into her hair a bit as he did so, "Yes." He said quietly. "I suppose this time, it worked." He told her with what could best be described as somewhat of a glorified grimace, shaped into something resembling a smile. He was referring to their meeting at his party the night he'd become a SeeD, the night before the morning this whole ordeal had been set into motion. During the time he'd found her attempt to make him 'like' her to be rather… pathetic and somewhat naïve, it still did now, but with more of an amicable sense to it.

-

She couldn't see it directly, but she could almost feel his expression. The slight smile that had finally managed to grace his lips as he admitted her small victory. As much as she would have wished to see it though, she was content as they were, barely able to move. There would be other times, she knew, and that countenance he had showed her that night of the world's celebration at Balamb Garden was a portrait captured forever in her mind. She smiled often, and she couldn't help doing so again as she remembered it, as well as to his obscure reference. Though she did know what he had meant.

"I was silly then, wasn't I?" Rinoa admitted somewhat sheepishly, though not ever regretting her nature for a moment. "I still am now."

Her breathing evened slightly into the kind of lull one would find in the folds of sleep's rhythm. It was so warm. And despite the coolness of the fragrant ambiance around them she was comfortable, feeling as if she would melt into him at any moment.

"Squall," she mumbled in weak warning, "If you put me to sleep here you're going to have to carry me back."

-

He frowned slightly before removing his jacket, draping it around her shoulders before giving her a slight nudge to gain her seemingly drifting attention. He wasn't sure exactly where to take her, or simply stay with her here. The party would be loud, and at the moment she seemed rather sleepy, on the other hand, there was always the option of taking her back to Garden, they would have to later on anyhow. Various vehicles still remained, taking one of them to take her back and then return wouldn't be that bad, it wasn't too far into the night either. The party would probably last well past midnight, they were almost all young adults after all, and it was to be expected.

"I can take you back to Garden if you want to sleep. Its probably too loud to sleep here and I doubt things will get any quieter for a while now." He told her, leaving the decision up to her, it really didn't matter either way, Garden wasn't far off and if she wanted to remain at the party, there were always rooms available for her at the orphanage.

-

Her arms crossed over one another to draw the lapels of the jacket closer together, the jacket's weight replacing the feeling of his arm previously around her. The envelope of warmth encompassed her bare shoulders, seeming to embrace and flow throughout, covering the rest of her slender frame. Eyes closed, she almost seemed to disappear into its soft folds. The light strands of fur tickling her nose just briefly before it hid away, leaving only her cheeks and the tips of her lashes to brush back against them. She heard the reassuring tone of his voice, though she was only vaguely listening to the complications and intricate mode of thinking Squall went through to just consider a place for her to rest.

With an inaudible murmur of protest to the prospect of moving, one hand wove through a long black sleeve, coming up to grasp his as the wide cuff slipped slightly past her wrist. She yawned once, hiding it inside of the jacket and blinked up at him with a hidden spark of vivacity in her eyes. If they were going to get up and move, it couldn't just be to that she could go to sleep early. She wasn't going to miss one waking moment with him tonight so long as she could help it.

"Hm ... In that case, take me somewhere...fun," Rinoa suggested instead. "It'll be like a late night date! That is," she paused, being considerate for his own mood as well, "if you want to, that is."

-

He tilted his head slightly; giving her the same intrigued look he did when they first met. Her request was much easier said than done, only a few places stood out to him in this area, there really wasn't much to do aside from exploring the garden or wandering back into the crowd of the party. Adverting his gaze to the sky he frowned, unsure what to do. Actually, he felt like yawning too, though he simply repressed it, rotating his neck slightly to hide any momentary signs he would have shown. It wasn't that he was scared of showing that particular little bit to her, it was simply because she might have decided otherwise had she seen he was even slightly fatigued, and he really didn't want that.

"That's fine." He said quietly, pausing for a brief moment. "What exactly do you do… for fun?" he asked genuinely intrigued, he wasn't exactly sure despite the time they'd shared together. Their journey wasn't exactly the best time or setting to learn about such detail in each others lives. In fact, aside from her general personality and past, he knew very little about the small details, the ones that mattered during times like these… sort of.

-

"Hm..." The contemplative hum of thought drifted up as she eagerly thought on the question, fading into the thin film of slate wisped clouds and aquamarine stars. At the notion of "fun," several subjects seemed to surface at once. Rather than strain her mind for topics to draw from, it was more difficult just trying to prioritize them and organize the various hobbies into reasonable conversation. What was most exciting about this light-hearted pondering though, was that he had asked her in his interest, and she wanted to share that with him.

"Well, the magazines from Timber Maniacs were always rather interesting to read. Though, I liked to order novels and fiction from them to read too." She began; chin perched in a slender hand. She cast a quick glance to him, wondering how much he read, himself. Throughout their journey, she would notice that he would pick up the random issues of Timber Maniacs and read them while they all recuperated for the night. It was hard not to notice the actions of others when you were...intrigued by them.

"Training Angelo tricks and everything from Pet's Monthly is always fun too. Usually though, I sort of just thought about plans and tactics we could do with the guys back at Timber. Now Deling..." She closed her eyes momentarily; trying to remember what fun there was to be had there when her father's suffocation was most prevalent. "Shopping...The arcade...Staying out late and not listening to what the adults say. The normal pre-teen kind of stuff." She worked a slightly chilled hand to wrap around his before looking back at him. "But you know, all that is just as fun as being with other people and just talking with them. Like this."

With her acquisition of his jacket, she knew that he may have been cold, or eventually become so, even though she couldn't feel his skin through the black gloves. A spontaneous date could always wait for daylight, she supposed. It had been quite a day of painting, moving, and preparation as it was anyway.

"But for tonight," she concluded. "Let's just go back to the house and see what else we can do before spending the night. Maybe you can tell me about what you remember from your childhood in this place there."

-

He gave her a nod, rising to his feet and pulling her up to hers as well. Casually dusting himself off he stretched slightly, a gust of cold wind sending a chill down his spine. _Colder than I thought…_ He frowned for a brief moment at the cold air and tilted his head a bit, gaining his bearings. The time had passed rather quickly, or so he thought, and despite not having traveled in an overly weaving direction he'd still managed to forget which way was back to the party. Slowly, as his body became numb to the cold once more he realized the simplest thing. There was only **one** path there, and it was the one they'd made, however unnoticeable it may have been, it was still there and the slightly tilted flowers gave evidence of this. He stared back at Rinoa for a moment; shaking his head slightly to rid him self of is doubt, surprise and possible confused expression that was etched on his face due to the lapse in logic. _Just tired…_ he decided dropping his personal dilemma all together as he took up a slow pace through the garden, careful not to disturb the flowers more than they'd already been. Occasionally he glanced over his shoulder, hopefully unnoticed, making sure she was all right or if she was keeping up with his pace.

However, as quickly as they'd made it out of the garden, they'd managed to leave it, and within a short time he'd found himself back on the spot he'd initially spotted and called out to her. At that moment as the heat and the noise from the party rang clear and loud in his ears he almost felt his mouth drop open as he realized something far more pressing. Now that he was returning to the party _with_ Rinoa, what type of ruthless scrutiny would they **both** be subject to? Though he was sure Rinoa was just fine with whatever was to come and probably just act the part, he definitely wasn't looking forwards to face it, not to mention however long it would last afterwards. If it wasn't Selphie it would be Quistis and god knows she did enjoy mocking him. Luckily before he could mull the thoughts over another event turned his attention heaven ward in the form of a bright red flare… no… not a flare… firework. Wait a moment. Fireworks? Zell…

A loud scream followed, perhaps a cheer. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

No not Zell. _Seifer._

A frown grew on his features and he wondered what else had managed to occur during his absence. What other stupid acts of idiocy had taken place or was about to? Then again, what did it matter? He'd take a page from Rinoa's book this time. Yes, that would probably be the best thing to do. He wasn't in the mood, nor was it really that important in reality. This was supposed to be a night of fun after all, and though disagreeable, perhaps Seifer had actually done something worthy of praise this time. A small smile played on his lips as three more bright flares flew into the sky, hovering for a moment before exploding in a cascade of color. From the sky his gaze drifted back towards the garden, the moisture on the flower petals now illuminated by both the moonlight and given an eerie glow by the fireworks. Truly… _Beautiful._

Turning back towards Rinoa before turning back to the sky to watch the spectacle he spoke quietly though loud enough for her to hear through both the noise of the fireworks and the party. "Thank you." Was all he said, all he really could say at the moment, there was perhaps, more to say, but he just couldn't figure out what, so those words would have to suffice.

-

The moment that the couple had reemerged into the din of the living party, Rinoa had began to come to that same realization that had fluttered across Squall's imagination concerning their predicament. Truly, she hadn't intended any such allusion with her self-isolation and his following. But she somehow found the thought to be amusing nonetheless. Maybe she simply liked to tease him as much as everyone else did. The fact that they were all young adults did not help the maturity, or lack thereof, either. Act as she may though, it was a subject well obscured and doubtful considering their portrayal for affection thus far. It was almost disheartening in that respect, but there was time. Whatever time had past in the forever they had just left behind marked a milestone among pink blossomed fields.

As the first flare went off, Rinoa jumped slightly, a light trickle of laughter threatening to bubble forth from velveteen petals of her lips. She could hear the sudden uproar of voices, and couldn't help but to think of how absolutely blessed she was to know them and be among them after all. She really wasn't such an odd-one-out, all things considered. Not when each and every one of them so unique, loud, different. With their own profound impact, they left bright traces, imprints, across her vision. Just like fireworks. And one light in particular amazed her, embraced her perseverance, more than the rest.

"Beautiful..." She breathed out loud, voice drowned by the din of whistle and flourished boom, the same moment the word had reached her accompaniment's own thoughts.

As she heard his simple expression to her, its depth beneath just the simple definition, Rinoa stepped up to his side and inclined her head upwards to see the same painting of lights. Once again, she took his hand in hers as they simply watched the night fade into vibrant miracles.

-

Fin.

_- -_

_Well, that's that, and once again, I'd like to thank Tainted Purity for her awesome work on this with me. Currently we're planning a sequel and pairings for other characters in the Final Fantasy: VIII series, Irvine/Selphie, Zell/Pig Tailed Girl, not definitive yet, but stay tuned! I'll be sure to drop an update or something in here shortly as well with upcoming plans for future ideas. _

Hope to see you soon,

Hiro Ayami  
&  
Tainted Purity.


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